Earth and Enviornment News: Page 8

Amphibians in Grave Danger (August 15, 2006): Many species of amphibians are in danger of extinction thanks to a fungus that is preying on amphibians weakened by pollution and overdevelopment according to an study described in Science.

Earth's Oceans Filling Up With Plastic (August 7, 2006): Niall Ferguson has written an opinion piece for the Telegraph that highlights recent information that should be of grave concern to everyone.

NASA No Longer Protecting the Planet? (August 1, 2006): The New York Times recently reported that NASA's mission statement has been changed to delete the phrase "to understand and protect our home planet.

Catastrophic Species Loss Occuring on Earth (July 24, 2006): Scientists say the Earth is currently experiencing a catastrophic period of animal loss that will continue to worsen.

Oceans Become More Acidic (July 21, 2006): A new study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has found that the same manmade gases responsible for global warming are also helping the oceans to become more acidic.

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Named World's Largest Marine Sanctuary (June 15, 2006): President Bush has designated the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as the United States' 75th national monument.

World's Deserts are Expanding (May 25, 2006): China is not the only country that has to worry about desert creep.

15 Ways to Live Longer (May 19, 2006): Forbes.

16,000 Species Face Extinction (May 4, 2006): The AP reports that IUCN, a conservation group, says 16,000 species are in serious danger of going extinct.

Threats to the Jungles of Borneo (May 1, 2006): Andrew Harding at the BBC reports on several threats to the nature-rich jungles of Borneo.

Greenpeace: Chernobyl Toll Grossly Underestimated (April 26, 2006): The BBC reports that Greenpeace believes the Chernobyl disaster has had a much more serious impact and higher death toll than the UN's figures of 9,000 dead.

Britain is Eating the Planet (April 20, 2006): A BBC article says Britain is now "eating the planet" -- in other words the UK has nearly consumed its natural resources and is about to depend completely on resources imported from other countries.

The Politics of Overfishing (April 10, 2006): Counting fish is not easy and correct counts are often ignored for political reasons as sustainable fisheries becoming an increasingly urgent global problem.

Poll: 85% Think Global Warming is Happening (March 28, 2006): A new poll from Time magazine, ABC News and Stanford has found that 85% of Americans think global warming is probably happening now and 66% think President Bush's policies are not helping the environment.

86 Evangelical Leaders Back Efforts to Stop Global Warming (February 8, 2006): The BBC reports that a group of 86 evangelical Christian leaders, including Purpose-Driven Life author Rick Warren, have published a newspaper advertisement that says saving Earth from global warming is a legitimate and important concern.

Study Finds Sea Level Rise Acceleration (January 27, 2006): A BBC article says Australian researchers have discovered the sea level is rising at a quicker pace than previously thought.

Norway Building Doomsday Seed Vault (January 13, 2006): The BBC reports that Norway is building a doomsday seed vault designed to withstand nuclear war in an effort to save "all known varities" of the world's crops.

Southeast Asia Tsunami Remembered (December 26, 2005): Last year on December 26, 2004 a devastating Tsunami struck Southeast Asia killing over 200,000 people.

Satellites Show Europe's Pollution Hotspots (December 9, 2005): A BBC news story says European scientists are getting a much better look at pollution problems in the region thanks to data from the Aura satellite.

Dramatic Changes Occuring in Gulf Stream? (December 2, 2005): Are changes already taking place in the Gulf Stream? New Scientist reports that a group of scientists have measured a major drop in the amount of warm water in the Gulf Stream.

Green Roofs to Fight Urban Heat (November 16, 2005): SciGuy has been blogging lately here and here about using green roofs to help reduce the heat generated by massive urban areas like Houston, Texas.

Viruses and Toxins Could Remain Even After Flood Recedes (September 7, 2005): WebMD has a news story about four cases of waterborne disease in the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

Scientists Concerned About Recent New Madrid Earthquakes (July 20, 2005): ABC News reports that scientists are concerned that the New Madrid fault zone could see another big earthquake soon.

U.S. Babies Being Born Polluted (July 18, 2005): A frightening report from the Environmental Working Group has found that tests of umbilical cord blood found numerous amounts of dangerous pollutants.

G8 Scientists Say Act Now on Global Warming (June 8, 2005): A joint statement signed by top scientific academies from G8 countries as well as Brazil, India and China, is urging the G8 nations to do something about global warming before it is too late.